Qantas A380 'Nosedives' Because of Turbulence from Another Plane

The plane reportedly dropped for about ten seconds.

We've written before about why it's always a good idea to keep your seatbelt fastened on an airplane, and here's more evidence: Earlier this week, a Qantas A380 took a nosedive above the Pacific Ocean after it hit the wake turbulence of another Qantas A380. One passenger on the flight, Australian television and radio host Eddie McGuire, said the aircraft "jumped up and down for about ten seconds" and that it felt like going over the top of a rollercoaster, reports the Canberra Times. The plane eventually leveled out, and no injuries were reported.

Larger planes—like the A380—produce the most powerful wake turbulence, or vortexes of air spinning in opposite directions; these flows can linger more than three minutes after a plane has passed through the space. Still, wake turbulence is already rare, and that it occurred between the two A380 planes is even rarer. (Most wake turbulence occurs between a larger plane and a smaller one, rather than two big ones, Reuters points out.) The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which was manning the air traffic control during the incident, requires five nautical miles of separation for aircraft during flight; the A380s in the incident were separated by 20 nautical miles, and an elevation of 1,000 feet, Bloomberg reports.

In a statement from the airline, Qantas Fleet Safety Captain Debbie Slade said that regardless, it's difficult to eliminate wake turbulence and its risks. “Aircraft are designed to handle it safely,” Slade said. “We always recommend passengers keep their seat belt firmly fastened at all times just as pilots do in the flight deck.” You don't need to tell us twice.